There was something about the 1980s and the conflation of horror with oldies. Maybe it was a coming together of all those rockabilly songs about Frankenstein and teenage brain surgeons meeting up with the inherent creepiness of using Mr. Sandman as the credits rolled in Halloween II, but for whatever reason, horror icons latched onto those old songs.

Writer Joe Sommerlad once posited that ‘the choice reminds us how weird and unearthly the originals are when heard anew.’ So, with that in mind, one can see just how well the Everly Brothers’ classic, “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” translates into being sung by the one and only Freddy Krueger.

In 1987, Freddy was at the apex of his popularity. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors had been released earlier in the year, and would take in more money than any other film in the franchise until Freddy vs. Jason, over 15 years later. The Freddy’s Nightmares syndicated television series would debut the following year, as well as the fourth film in the series, The Dream Master.

It seems that the powers-that-be behind the franchise felt the best way to cash in would be to have the now-iconic slasher unleash his wit and verve on a series of nine songs. It’s one hundred percent a novelty record, through and through, with the only real analogue in the horror world something like Spike Jones in Hi-Fi (A Spooktacular in Screaming Sound!) or Elvira’s Vinyl Macabre – a collection of mouldy oldies with the Mistress of the Dark herself introducing each track.

This brings everything back to the ‘50s and ‘60s songs covered here by Krueger (actually voiced by Robert Englund himself, backed by a crack team of RCA studio musicians). While as an LP, Freddy’s Greatest Hits doesn’t necessarily have much to which it can be compared, there was a slew of singles during the heyday of the novelty record wherein actors and actresses sang as their fictional counterparts.

Frank Gorshin had The Riddler, Car 54, Where Are You?’s Joe E. Ross had Ooh! Ooh!, and even Maxwell Smart’s Barbara Feldon did 99. Freddy’s songs here are about halfway between those in-character knee-slappers and the likes of Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams doing ‘60s girl group covers on Laverne & Shirley Sing! Basically, it’s fun, although never particularly spooky.

The sole exception is when Stephanie Davy takes lead vocals on Don’t Sleep, and then it becomes a curious case of why that particular cut wasn’t taken and used for an actual Nightmare on Elm Street film, as it’s the only one on Freddy’s Greatest Hits that manages to combine vocals and creepiness. The closing instrumental, Elm Street Dreams, does a solid job of maintaining an atmosphere, as well, but the rest are completely dependent on one’s ability to engage nostalgia and place their tongue firmly in cheek in order to obtain a sense of anything other than eye-rolling bemusement.

Strange Disc has done a nice job with this reissue, which is indistinguishable from the original pressing, aside from the addition of the label’s logo and a couple of copyright notes. It sounds robust, as well, despite the thinness of the ‘80s production. Additionally, those who’ve been looking to add it to their collection will appreciate the heavyweight vinyl and much lower price tag. Due to the fact that the original release three decades ago was mostly ignored, it now fetches absurd secondhand prices. Given the ‘hardy har har’ level of comedy on the presentation here, it oughtn’t to cost you an arm and a leg.

FREDDY’S GREATEST HITS (1987) / PERFORMERS: THE ELM STREET GROUP / LABEL: STRANGE DISC / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW